Lachin Corridor Can Only Be Altered by a Plan Approved by Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan: Armenian Foreign Ministry

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement:

“On August 3 of this year, the Azerbaijani armed forces once again violated the November 9, 2020, trilateral agreement regarding the ceasefire in the conflict zone of Nagorno-Karabakh and launched aggression within the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces, resulting in casualties and injuries. Despite the Armenian side's efforts towards achieving stability and peace in the region, Azerbaijan continues its policy of terrorizing the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, subjecting it to ethnic cleansing and pursuing a creeping occupation.

We remind that similar acts of aggression and violations of the ceasefire occurred on March 24 of this year, when Azerbaijani armed forces made illegal advances towards the village of Parukh, as well as during the attacks on December 11, 2020, towards the villages of Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher, which are also within the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh.

We find unacceptable the Azerbaijani statements attempting to unilaterally alter the legal regime established by the 6th point of the trilateral statement in the Lachin corridor and reaffirm that any change to the route passing through the Lachin corridor can only occur in accordance with a plan approved by the parties that signed the statement.

As clearly defined by the November 9 statement, a new route for traffic through the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh will be determined in the coming three years, with agreements among the parties (i.e., the Russian Federation, the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan) and with further redeployment of the Russian peacekeeping forces for the maintenance of that route.

We emphasize that to date, there is no such plan approved in the trilateral format, and we call upon all parties to the trilateral statement to adhere to their commitments, to make immediate efforts to implement the conditions established by the November 9 statement, including the maintenance of the ceasefire regime, the opening of regional communications, and the return of prisoners of war, hostages, and other detained persons.

We find it necessary to reiterate that the Republic of Armenia has fulfilled all its obligations. The failure to meet several points of the November 9 trilateral statement is due to Azerbaijan's arbitrary interpretations, ongoing aggressive rhetoric, and actions.

The Republic of Armenia, reiterating its commitment to the agenda of establishing peace and stability in the region, calls on the international community to take measures to stop Azerbaijan's aggressive posture and actions and to activate the necessary international mechanisms for this purpose.”